Crew from Kenya stranded in Indonesia after ship breaks down

The captain of an all-Kenyan crew vessel MV Queen Bihanga stranded in an Indonesian port is appealing to the Government to assist the team to return home.

Speaking on telephone to The Standard , Athman Khamis Mzee alias Rotation said that the crew has been stranded in the foreign nation for one year and nine months without adequate food.

The ship developed mechanical problems and is moored at Port Tan Jung in Indonesia.

According to documents in our possession, the listed owner of the vessel is a Burundian national, Rafiki Abraham Diego.

He operates Dich Trading Company, which specialises in steel, located along Mombasa Road in Mlolongo, Nairobi.

"We have been assisted by the International Transport Federation office here and the local Mission to Seamen office. They cannot continue to fend for us. We are seeking a way out of our miseries," said Mzee.

And in a desperate bid, the crew of five stormed the offices of the Kenyan Honorary Consul in Jakarta to demand assistance.

Mzee said the consul contacted the nearest Kenyan High Commission in Malaysia where the crew spoke with embassy officials.

A Mombasa-based civil society group, Haki Africa, has expressed displeasure at the way the five Kenyan sailors have been treated.